Sri Lanka sports minister Gamini Lokuge has ordered Sri Lanka Cricket to allow its top players to skip the tour of England next year and instead play in the Indian Premier League.

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced in July that Sri Lanka would play two Tests and three one-day internationals on a tour in April and May 2009.

However, the dates clash with the second edition of the IPL and top Sri Lankan players including Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis have refused to tour as they have lucrative IPL contracts.

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Talks between players, SLC and the sports ministry have failed to resolve the issue, and Lokuge hinted a second-string team could be sent to England by way of compromise.

'I want contracted players to honour their commitments with the IPL,' Lokuge was quoted as saying in the Colombo-based Daily Mirror.

'I don't want the tour to England be called off, but the team playing in England can have non-contracted IPL players.'

Lokuge also reiterated that players who have signed up for the Indian Cricket League will not be permitted to play international cricket again, despite SLC seemingly revising their stance by allowing five rebels to turn out at domestic level last week.

'The players who played for ICL will not play for the nation again,' he said.

'I am being told that these players are only allowed to play at domestic levels.'